A Moment's Madness: An Heirs Fanfiction

Chapter 1: Prelude To A Kiss

It was after New Year's and the few people out in the cold darkness walked briskly and with purpose, except for the lone figure sitting quietly by an enormous park bench, dressed warmly in fur and yet, small and sad.

With a sigh, Han Ki-ae stood up and began walking down the park path to the sidewalk by the street. It was time to head back to the cramped rooftop apartment where her son and his lover resided, above her former housekeeper's restaurant. Although they had generously offered what little space they had, she felt uncomfortable there. Not only was it a blow to be unceremoniously kicked out after the Jeguk Group CEO's death, but the joy and love radiating from the pair made her feel her lack of companionship or security even more. Those two never noticed how pitiful their circumstances were, too wrapped up in each other, but she was convinced one day her son would realize all they had lost to his stepmother and half-sibling.Once on the sidewalk she paused a moment to orient herself, never noticing that someone's attention was on her.

Choi Young-do stared out of the convenience store window, the steam from his ramyun bowl fogging the glass. Almost absentmindedly, he wiped the glass in order to see the figure standing near the intersection. Was that Kim Tan's biological mother? What was she doing out at this time of the night? Young-do mused back to the funeral almost two months ago the stepmother stonily greeted him with only the older son Kim Won beside her. His nemesis was nowhere to be found, and he perfunctorily gave his condolences before following his father into the meeting hall. So, clearly, there was some trouble between the official family and the covert one.

He saw her give a little shiver as she slowly walked towards Sogong-do and the hotel district. On impulse he left his noodles bloating in their paper tub and sprinted for the door.

He caught up to her before she had walked a block.

"Kim Tan Eomma!" He called out when he got close. She wheeled around, and he couldn't help but notice how the coat flared out from her shapely black-clad legs, hidden above the knees by a grey kick-pleat skirt. As soon as she stopped moving the fur fell back in place, and Young-do was surprised at how disappointed he felt.

"Young-do-yah," she said almost breathlessly, her hand gripping the lapel, "You startled me. What are you doing here?"

He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. It was no secret among his circle at school that Kim Tan was the bastard younger brother of the late CEO Kim Nam-yoon and that his biological mother was persona non-grata within that household. He could only speculate that Jang Ji-sook, the official wife, had finally grabbed the reins of the family businesses and that the mistress was no longer queen of the household. He remembered so many of his father's paramours who threw their weight around his house, only to be replaced by the next one. He knew from school that Kim Tan was kicked out of the house before the old man died, so his circumstances should have been dire. Instead, his ex-friend received support from his classmates at school, and more importantly, his Kim Tan had Cha Eun-sang by his side. Young-do felt a sudden wave of bitterness as he stared at the older woman across from him. He had yet to forgive his classmate for stealing the one girl who had ever touched his heart.

And in front of him stood the only other female that Kim Tan truly loved.

Ki-ae felt exhausted and puzzled by the behavior of the young man in front of her. Emotions flickered across his face too quickly for her to register before everything smoothed into a polite mask. She still felt uneasy in his presence since she had never really interacted with him before her real position in the household was outed in public.

"You look a little cold. Would you like to go someplace and have something warm to drink? My father's hotel is just around the corner." She was tempted. The prospect of going to the rooftop was daunting before, and this offered a temporary reprieve. She gave him a smile and nodded.

Young-do felt a moment of triumph. This may be easier than he had thought.